China's defence chief confirms PLA will 'not renounce' use of force on Taiwan

China’s Defence Chief General Li Shangfu said that the country’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) will “not renounce” the use of force on Taiwan amid the rising tensions between the two regions. The remarks from Shangfu came during a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, defence chief Ng Eng Hen, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. Following the remarks by Shangfu, the expert said that the Chinese defence chief was giving out the warning to the United States and other regional actors. In the meeting, Shangfu made it clear that Beijing would not tolerate Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party seeking support from other countries for the Island region’s independence. 

Following his remark, Andrew Yang Nien-dzu, the former Taiwanese defence minister said that the Chinese official gave out a strong message by pointing out the island region’s ruling party. “It’s also rare for the PLA to name Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party when warning the Western countries, which is also a strong message to all Taiwanese political parties not to follow the DPP’s steps,” Yang said ahead of the security summit, which will be organised in Singapore, SCMP reported. However, Yang also stated that these warning would not “bother” the Taiwanese public. “But such a stern warning would not bother the Taiwanese public anymore, because everyone has been used to such warnings, including the Taipei authorities,” he further added. 

US-China tensions take the centre stage

The remarks by the Chinese Defence chief came ahead of the Shangri-La  Dialogue which is taking place in Singapore. The main event which will commence on Friday, has been overshadowed by the tensions between the delegations of China and the United States. Ahead of the summit, China refused to let its defence minister hold a meeting with the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the International event. "Overnight, the PRC informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation," the Pentagon said in a statement earlier this week, SCMP reported. 

While Shagfu himself was sanctioned by the United States back in 2018, Washington’s growing involvement in the  Taiwan issue is considered the major reason behind the refusal. The island region which is preparing for presidential elections in January has been on the center stage for rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. China started its military exercises in the region after the then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi paid a surprise visit to Taiwan. It is important to note that the US follows the “One China Policy” and does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. However, Washington has opposed any use of force to change the status quo in the region. Hence, Sino-US tensions will remain at the forefront of the international summit which is being organised in Singapore.